In this chapter Graber discusses how U.S. media does not pursue an equal amount of coverage throughout its media outlets of local news in discussion of political concerns. Many people have been tuning into or prefer local news versus national, but the focus has been towards softer and less informative news rather than important local problems that face citizens.The biased views in local news are affecting national politics.The changing media grid has explained how times have changed by how we receive our information and what kind of information we receive.

On page 298, Graber discusses the “umbrella competition,” which “smaller units operate within the area covered simultaneously by the larger units” (298). This umbrella competition consists of four different layers. The first layer metropolitan newspapers cover international, national, and regional news. The second layer consists more of local news and the third layer consists more of suburban newspapers and highlight more local news throughout the designated suburb. The last layer consists of free weekly papers, filled with advertisements and featured stories.

Graber said that the era of informal press is over and now big candidates are having press secretaries or public information offices. As national news dominates and local is scarce, Graber claims how state news is even more unreported. On the local level, Graber talked about the role of the local media in promoting candidates and how the candidates are spending more money on campaign ads that they hope will influence the election.

One of the most interesting parts of this chapter to me was how the public care more about national news and crime than local and state affairs. The problems of local news are probably why many young people do not pay attention to local media. Senior citizens are the demographic group that consumes local news most heavily. It’s rare for me to pick up a local newspaper and I never watch local news broadcasts.I prefer seeing what’s going on in the big side of things.Senior citizens are usually settled in a community and are attached to it. I don’t feel like local news performs as well as national news does, however, I think it is important to still emphasize local news in each state.If you aren’t educated about politics in your own state you won’t be a good representative. Having local newspapers distinguishes each state and allows people to be conscious of what is going on in their community, for in a small way, it still plays a role as a piece of the nation.